Improvement in portable furnaces



4 s'heetsshet I. W. J. KEEP.

Portable Furnace.

No.123,706. Patented Feb-13, 1872.

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Portabie Furnace.

No.123,7 06. Patented Feb.-13,187 2.

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Portable Furnace.

Patented Feb. 13,1872.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Drrron.

WILLIAM J. KEEP, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT lN PORTABLE FURNACES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 123,706, dated February 13, 1872.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAMI J. KEEP, of

Troy, in the county of Rensselaer and in the ranged so as to permit of a direct draught through its bottom. Fig. 2 is a like view of the same with its bottom opening closed. Fig. 3 is a vertical central section of said furnace on the line a; a: of Fig. 1. Figs. .4 and 5 are horizontal sections of the same on the lines as and 00, respectively, of Fig. 3. Figs. 6 and 7 are plan views of the upper side of a modification of my furnace. Fig. 8 is a vertical central section of the same on the line y y of Fig. 6. Figs. 9 and-10 are horizontal sections on the lines 51 and y, respectively, of Fig. 8. Figs. 11 and12 are plan views of the lower side of said modification as arranged in Figs. 6 and 7, respectively. Fig.13 is a plan view of the upper side of another modification of my device. Fig. 14 is a vertical section of the same -on the line 2 z of Fig. 13. Fig. 15 is ahorizontal section on the line 2 z of Fig. l4. Fig. 16 is a plan View of the upper side of my furnace when arranged for heating sad-irons. Fig. 17 is a vertical central section of the same on the line 2 z! of Fig. 16. Fig. l8is a plan view of the lower side of the sad-iron section; and Fig.

- 19 is a horizontal section of said section on the line 2 z of Fig. 17. Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

. My device is intended principally for use upon and in connection with a stove, although capable of use-as an ordinary furnace; and it consists principally in a furnace composed of an inner and an outer shell, between which is an air-space divided by suitable vertical partitionsinto a series of vertical fiues, substantantially as and for the purpose hereinafter specified. It consists further in a furnace composed of an inner'and an outer shell, separated by a series of vertical flues, and .provided with suitable horizontal openings at or immediately below its upper edge, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter shown. It consists further in a furnace composed of an inner and an outer shell separated by a series of vertical fines, and having their contiguous bottoms provided with segmental openings, which, by rotating said inner shell, may be caused to coincide so as to permit the escape of the contents of said furnace; ,or the openings in one bottom may each be' brought opposite the solid portions of the other bottom so as to closethe lower side of said furnace, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter set forth. It consists further in constructing the solid portions of the bottom of the inner shell with double inclined upper surfaces, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter shown and described. It consists further in a furnace pro vided with an ash-pit, and so constructed as to be capable of use within the pot-holes of an ordinary cookingstove in the manner of a ket-v tle, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter shown. It consists further in the peculiar construction of the ash-pit, by means of which, when said ash-pit is placed within a corresponding pothole, there shall still be left around its exterior suitable passages from the interior of the stove to the smoke-fines of the furnace, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter set forth. It consists further in a furnace composed of an inner and an outer shell or case, when said parts are so construct,-

ed and relatively arranged as that a semi-r0; tary movement of said inner case shall reverse the draught within the fines, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter shown and described. It consists further in a furnace capa: ble of use in the ordinary manner, and also within the pot-holes of a stove, so as to cause the heated escaping products of combustion to pass through the fines of the latter and into the chimney, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter specified. It consists further in the arrangement within the casings of the flues for supplying air to the burning fuel, by reason of which said air becomes highly heated before passing-upward through the grate, substantially as is hereinafter shown. It consists further in an upper removable section, provided with ascending and descending flues arranged between the inner and outer walls of the same, and communicating at their lower ends with the combustion-chamber and with the descending smoke-fines of the furnace, substantially as and for the purpose hereinat} ter set forth. It consists, finally, in the relative arrangement of the ascending-fines within the upper section, and of the plane faces for receiving sad-irons, substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter shown and described.

In the annexed drawing, A represents the external casing of the furnace, having, preferably, the form shown in Fig. 3, its sides inclining slightly inward from its upper edge to a point about three-fourths its hei ght,from thence extending horizontally inward for a short distanee, and from thence inward and downward again to its bottom, so as to form within the center and bottom of said casing apit, B, having a considerably less diameter than its upper portion. Fitted to or within the casing A is an inner easin g, 0, which has a considerably less diameter at its upper end than the former, and from thence extends downward and inward at the angles shown in Fig. 3, with its bottom 0 resting upon the bottom ofsaid outer casing so as to leave between their side walls an annular air-space, which space is inclosed at its upper side by means of a flange, 0, that is secured to the upper edge of said inner casing, and from thence extends horizontally outward over and upon the corresponding edge of said outer casin g. The air-space thus formed between the walls of the casings A and G is divided into a series of vertical flues, D, by means of a number of vertical flanges, A, which are secured to' the inner side and form a part of said outer casing, and, projecting radially inward, have their inner edges conformed to the contiguous outer surface of said inner casing. Communication between alternate fiues D and the external air is formed by means of an opening, d, corresponding in length to the width of said fines, and in depth to their horizontal size, which opening is formed within the wall of the outer casing A at or immediately below the top edge of the latter, while for the intermediate flues D communication is effected by removing the side walls and bottom of the ashpit B, and about one half the horizontal portion of said casing A on radial lines coinciding with the partitions or flanges A, the openings thus formed, (1, stopping a little outside the center of the ash-pit bottom, so as to leave between their inner ends sufficient metal to give the desired strength to said bottom. The pit and its bottom 0 of the inner casing is provided with segmental openings, which correspond in size and radial position with those formed in and through the pit B, so that when caused to coincide with the latter free passage downward is provided for the ashes or other contents of said inner casing but, when the latter is rotated within the outer casing until said openings in one part come opposite the solid portions of the opposite part, said downward passage is cut off and the bottom of the furnace made practically whole. In order to facilitate the removal of ashes from the furnace, the segmental portions of the bottom 0 of the inner casing are given a A-shape transversely, and slope upward and outward from their common center, by which means no ashes will lodge upon said parts, but will be caused to pass downward upon the bottom of the pit B, from whence, when said inner casing is rotated, said ashes will be scraped off and fall from the furnace. Passing radially outward through the wall of the inner casing, immediately below its upper edge, and in a line radially with the segmental portions 0 of its bottom, is a corresponding number of openings, E, which have a length equal to the distance between the inner edges of two flanges, A, so that, when said inner casing is so adjusted as to close its bottom openings, said openings E shall coincide with the flues D, and furnish a communication between the upper ends of the latter and the interior of said casin g 5 but, when the latter is turned so as to uncover the openings in its bottom, said openings E are caused to coincide with the openings 01, through the outer casing, and furnish a horizontal communication between the exterior and interior of the furnace. A stop is placed upon the lower side of the flange c, in such a position as to cause it to strike against the upper ends of either one of two flanges, and arrest the motion of the inner casing when it has rotated in either direction, to effect the before-named adjustment of flues and openings. A grate, F, resting upon the upper outer edges of the A-shaped segments 0 of the bottom of the' inner casing, suitable contracting rings for the upper side of said casing, and a bail, G, attached to the outer casin g completes the device, the operation of which is as follows:

The openings within the bottom of the furnace being closed and said furnace placed over or Within a pot-hole of a stove, fire is kindled upon the grate, and the upper side of the furnace closed by means of the pot-hole cover or by a kettle. The air now passes inward through the lateral openings in the sides of the outer casing, downward through the corresponding fines, until it escapes into the pit beneath the grate, from whence said air passes upward into the flue and supplies the purposes of combustion. The heated escaping products of combustion pass upward against the kettle or other covering for the furnace, from whence they pass outward through the lateral openings in the inner easing into the corresponding diving-fines, and through the same downward into the illterior of the stove, and from thence pass into the chimney through the usual stove-fines. It will be seen that, in its dowm ard pas'sa ge through the flues and into the space beneath the grate, the air supplied to the fuel becomes highly heated, so that, when it passes upward into or among the burning coals, said air is in a condition to produce the best possible effect. The ashes from the burning fuel fall through the grate into the ash-pit, until a suflicient accumulation has taken place to obstruct the free passage of air to the fire, when, by turning the nner casing so as to uncover the openings provided within the bottom of the exterior casing, said ashes will fall downward into the stove. During the operation of removing the contents of the ash-pit, the lateral openings through the sides of the casings are caused to come opposite each other, so as to admit air to the upper side of the fire, while the draughtof the chimney, acting through the openings in the bottom of the ash-pit, will reverse the course of the heated escaping products of combustion, and cause them to pass directly downward from the fire into the interior of the stove. Although the general construction of the furnace andtheform and relative proportions of its parts, as described, are believed to be most desirable, a variety of modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. Illustrations of two such modifications are given in Figs. 6 to 15, both inclusive, of which, as the essential features correspond with and are designated by the same letters of reference as those already described, no further description is deemed necessary. If it is desired to use the device separate from a stove, the inner casing should be turned until the openings in its sidesand bottom coincide with those in the outer casing, and the furnace placed upon bricks, stones, or any suitable means, whereby its bottom may be raised from the ground, after which the action of the device is similar to that of a furnace of usual construction, the air passing through its bottom into the ash-pit beneath the grate, and through the latter into the burning fuel, from whence the heated escaping products of combustion pass upward against the kettle or other cover, and thence outward through the lateral openings into the open air. As this device is more especially intended for use when but little fire is required, it has been found advantageous as a sad-iron heater; but as the limited space upon its upper side (when covered) renders difficult the heating of a sufficient number of irons, the following-described attachment has been provided: An upper section is composed of an external and an internal casing, H and I, respectively, the former of which has a size at its lower end slightly greater than the upper end of the inner casing of the furnace, and from thence contracts in size to its upper end, where it is joined to the correspondin g end of said inner casing I, the latter of which increases slightly in diameter as it extends downward, so as to leave between the same and said outer casing a considerable airspace, which is separated into a series of flues, L and M, by means of a number of partitions, K, arranged vertically and radially within the same, and extending nearly to the upper end of the casings. The flues thus formed, corre-' spond in number and radial position with those in the furnace, with the lower end of each alternate flue L open, while at the corresponding portions of the intermediate flues M, the inner-casing is extended downward and outward, and, in connection with the partitions or flue-strips, incloses the sides, inner face, and end of said fines, and brings their open, outer sides over and against the lateral openings E of the casing G. s

As thus constructed, the open flues L receive the ascending currents of the heated cscaping products of combustion as they reach the upper end of the furnace, which products continue upward through said flues until they pass into the upper ends of the intermediate flues M, from whence they pass downward into the diving smoke-flues of said furnace, and from thence escape into the stove, as before described, having, in their passage through said upper section, imparted to the same a large percentage of their heat.

By constructing the outer casing H with a series of plane faces, h, and providing the same with suitable housings, N, for the reception of sad-irons,- the device is complete in so far as its use is required for heating the same. It will, of course, be necessary to inclose the upper open end of the upper section whenever used in connection with a stove, which result can be as readily obtained by means of a suitable cooking utensil as by an ordinary pot-hole cover, so as to permit the device to be used at the same time for heating sad-irons and for cooking.

It will be noticed that the flues within the upper section are so'arranged as that each flue extends horizontally beneath portions of two continuous plane faces, h, by which means each of said faces receives heat from both an ascending and descending flue. It is believed that this arrangement equalizes the distribution of the heat, and produces the best obtainable results; but, if desired, said flues may be so placed as that each one shall occupy the entire space beneath a plane face, in which event alternate faces would be heated to a higher temperature than those between the same. If desired, the form and dimensions or the interior of the upper section may be such as to enable the same to be used for a fuel-magazine, in which event a most perfect base-burnin g stove would be produced.

The especial advantages obtained by this device over others intended for a like use are: First, while employing the-draught of the stove so as to cause the heated escaping products of combustion to pass downward into the same, the course of said escaping products after leaving the fuel and until their heat is utilized is upward, in the natural manner, instead or downward and away from the point Where the heat is desired. Second, by means of the peculiar construction of the ash-pit, the entire contents of the same can be quickly and readily dumped, so as to leave the space beneath the grate free from obstruction. Third, while capable of use in connection with a stove, the

device is equally useful in the same manner as an ordinary furnace. Fourth, by means of the upper section, a larger number of sad-irons can be heated at one tlme, and with a smaller consumption of fuel, than by any other means ordinarily employed for such purpose. Fifth, the use of said upper section not only enables the device to be used for cooking and ironheating purposes at the same time, but also makes of it a complete and operative baseburner.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention, what I claim as new 1s- 1. A furnace composed of an inner and an outer shell, separated horizontally by an airspace, which is divided by means of suitable vertical and radial partitions into vertical flues, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. Also, a furnace composed of aninner and an outer shell, separated horizontally by vertical lines, and provided with suitable horizontal openings at or immediately below its upper edge, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

3. Also, a furnace composed of an inner and an outer shell separated by vertical flues,and having their contiguous bottom s provided with segmental radial openings, which openings in one bottom may either be caused to coincide or to alternate with those in the other bottom, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4:. Also, in a furnace composed of an inner and an outer shell, having each afixed bottom provided with segmental radial openings, the inner shell, when the hollow segmental portions of its bottom are constructed with a double incline transversely, and form a continuation of a portion of the vertical flues, substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

5. Also, a furnace provided with an ash-pit, and so constructed as to be capable of use within the pot-holes of an ordinary cooking stove, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

6. Also, the peculiar construction of the ashpit hereinbefore described, by means of which, when placed within a corresponding pot-hole, there is still left around the exterior of said ash-pit suitable passages from the interior of the stove to the smoke-fines of the furnace, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. Also, a furnace composed of an inner and an outer shell, when said parts are so constructed and relatively arranged as that a semi-rotary movement of said inner shell shall reverse the draught within the flues, substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

8. Also, a furnace capable of use in the ordinary manner, and also in the pot-holes of a stove, so as to cause the heated escaping products of combustion to pass through the fines of the latter and into the chimney, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

9. Also, the arrangement, within the casing, of the flues for supplying air to the burning fuel, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

10. Also, the upper section, composed of an inner and an outer shell, between which are arranged a series of ascending and descending flues, which communicate with the combustion-chamber and smoke-fines of the furnace, in the manner and for the purpose substantially as set forth.

11. Also, the relative arrangement of the vertical flues within the upper section, and the plane faces upon the exterior of the same, substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 8d day of July, 1871. I

WILLIAM J. KEEP.

Witnesses:

OHAs. H. HAZARD. NORMAN SINCLAIR. 

